Step by Step
by StupidBolts
Summary: "I want my brother to be at peace. That is what Zenyatta has taught me. Peace. I fear I may well have hated Hanzo if it weren't for Zen..." McCree nodded, although Genji was not looking at him. "If Zen could prevent me from hating my brother... perhaps he could stop Hanzo from hating himself."
1. Unnecessary PSA

So here's the thing, and I'll be up front about this so any homophobes can get out of here tout suite; this is gonna have some slash in it. Genji and McCree are building up to have a relationship. Homosexuality. Gay.

Still here? Alright, lemme go on.

This fanfic isn't _centred_ around the slash pairing involved. It's an important element, gradually growing chapter by chapter, but that's not all it's addressing. It's also addressing the emotional and psychological rifts between Genji and Hanzo's cliché predicament. It addresses a Buddhist view on forgiveness and self acceptance. It's a writing exercise for an aspiring writer.

You see, this is one of my most popular fanfics thus far on this site. It's very much appreciated, and I'm impressed! I've never gotten such a sudden and steady flow of positivity and constructive criticism before. It's wonderful.

But if ya'll gonna come in here and tell me I can't make two computer generated men have romantic feelings for each other, and start crawling up my arse like an angry twelve year old boy on COD, you can just jog on. I have my story, I have my tastes. If the idea of a homosexual relationship in a fanfic puts a bad taste in your mouth, then by all means, move along. I'm not shoving it down your throat, and you have your warning.

With that said, have a wonderful day my lovelies!


	2. Chapter 1

The British Overwatch base was distinctly colder than most of the other bases. Operations in snowy countries like Russia or Tibet were outfitted with central heating, but clearly the English division didn't feel that was necessary. McCree didn't mind, he was near constantly bundled up in his poncho and thick fabric clothing, and his leather boots were toasty. But not puddle proof, as he'd learned while walking down the streets of London.

It got to the point where he exhaled, and saw a small cloud of his breath in front of his face. He stared at it as it disappeared, then looked round at Genji in disbelief. The cyborg shrugged, body language seeming calmly amused.

"Oh it's alright for you," Jesse huffed. "Do you even feel the cold?"

"Yes. But Doctor Mercy also installed a central heater in my armour." Oh well didn't he sound smug.

McCree shook his head, then started thumbing through the reports Winston had dropped in his lap at the last meeting. Genji set down a cup of tea beside him, then began organising files on the holoscreens. A comfortable quiet set in, and by the time he'd finished his tea he was half way through the reports. He was mostly skim reading, eyes picking out key words and getting the general gist of them. Once he was on the field, he'd piece together what was actually happening on the fly.

A profile caught his eye, partially for the photo, mostly for the surname depicted at the top. He paused, and actually read through the entire file.

"... your brother joined Overwatch?" There was a sharp click of flinching armour, and he looked up just as Genji peered over his shoulder.

"... not quite," he replied, clearing his throat. "Hanzo is a stubborn soul. Both Winston and I have given him an open invitation... granted, my invitation was in the form of almost cutting off his head."

"You sweet talker you." Genji sighed and shook his head.

"It is his nature... the lone wolf type. It has always been so..." Jesse scratched at his beard almost thoughtfully.

"He's the eldest?"

"He is."

"And he's the one that... did _this_ to you..." He gestured to his friend's mechanical body. "And you still forgave him."

"It was expected of him... I know he feels guilt."

"I'm sure he does." McCree was quiet for a minute, then jolted upright in a sudden realisation. "Your body's not a problem!" Genji's optical band flashed, like a blink of surprise, and he gave Jesse a puzzled look. "I wasn't implyin' that you bein' a cyborg was an issue to me... I just realised how I made that sound..." He sank back into his seat, awkwardly glancing to the side. Genji tilted his head, the antenna on his helm twitching curiously, then he chuckled.

"It's alright, my friend. I didn't take offence, I knew full well what you meant." The samurai looked down at his mechanical hands, watching them flex. "I am... content with what I have become. But Hanzo is not."

"Content with what you are... or with what he is?"

Genji closed his fists, bowing his head. "... with the fact that what he has become, made _me_ into what I am."

"Ah, the blame game." Jesse dropped the reports onto the coffee table, folding his hands over his belly. "I think Jack plays that game from time to time."

"Indeed..." Genji's arms lowered to his sides, shoulders lowering as he stared into the floor hard. "I want my brother to be at peace. That is what Zenyatta has _taught_ me. Peace. I fear I may well have hated Hanzo if it weren't for Zen..." McCree nodded, although Genji was not looking at him. "If Zen could prevent _me_ from hating my brother... perhaps he could stop Hanzo from hating himself."

"And that's what you're tryin' to do?" He looked back at the outlaw, being met with a steady, worldly gaze. "Tryin' to bring him into Overwatch so he can get over this self-loathing?"

"Mostly..." Genji was quiet, then looked back down at his feet. "... but I also... simply want my brother back..."

"... I'm sure he told himself that time and time again."

Another moment of silence fell between them, not quite as companionable, but not uncomfortable either. Jesse watched Genji's body language thoughtfully, then cleared his throat. "If'n there's anythin' I can do, anythin' at all, just lemme know. Even if it's... I dunno, holdin' the door open for you when you next go to talk to him."

Genji chuckled again, nodding. "Thank you, Jesse. I appreciate that."

"Has he even given it a chance?"

"The last we heard he said he'd... think about it."

"You don't like the sound of that."

"I remember when we were teenagers, I once asked him help me convince our father to buy me a motorcycle," Genji replied. "Hanzo said he'd _'think about it'_."

"Motorcycle never happened?"

"Motorcycle never happened."

"Well ain't that a shame... but hey, now you've got cyborg legs that make you run fast. So he kinda came through in a way." Genji laughed.

"Perhaps, but I very much would have liked that Kawasaki Ninja."


	3. Chapter 2

"... tea's supposed to be really important in Japan, right?" Genji looked up at McCree briefly, his friend leaning on the counter across from him with his chin in his hand and watching him work. He smiled under the mask.

"It is more the ritual of _making_ the tea that is important," he replied. "It is what it represents."

"Hrm..." Jesse watched Genji stir the strange paste. "And this represents...?"

"Welcoming Hanzo." Genji added more boiling water to the paste, and continued stirring. "It shows that Overwatch is not a threat to him, that it is a family. That _we_ can be a family again." His hand slowed to a stop. "... that I bear him no ill will."

McCree sighed and rubbed at his eyes. "This Buddhist mumbo jumbo about forgiveness is... well, I couldn't do it," he grunted. "I don't have that much patience."

Genji smiled with a soft chuckle, and Jesse's eyes flicked up to look at him. "It does take time... I believe no one will be more impressed by my development than Hanzo."

"Yeah?" McCree tilted his head, a silent sign that he was listening.

Genji paused, then poured the tea. "Before our... disagreement, I was quite juvenile..." He went quiet, teapot hovering above the cup. "Actually, I was a complete brat." McCree laughed, earning a light shove in the shoulder.

"What, you were daddy's whinin', screechin' lil' princess?" Genji clicked his tongue, setting the tea equipment aside.

"No... that was Hanzo." Jesse snorted into his hand with a rough chuckle.

"Well now I won't be able to look at 'im without grinnin'."

" _Please_ don't tell him I said that!" They chuckled for a moment or two, before Genji pushed the tea towards Jesse. The outlaw paused, staring at the cup, then looked up at Genji questioningly. "For you."

"Clearly. But I thought it was for Hanzo."

"It would be long since cold by the time he gets here." McCree was quiet, looking suspiciously at the mug. Then he reprimanded himself not to be rude, and removed his hat, setting it on the counter.

"Cheers then, partner," he smiled, picking up the cup and raising it like it was a mug of beer. He sipped at it and winced. Herbal teas were evidently more bitter. No sugar involved. He coughed a little, placing the cup down slowly and licked his teeth, trying to scrape the taste off of his tongue. "It's, uh... potent."

Genji snickered, and McCree got the feeling he was biting his lip in an attempt not to outright laugh under that mask.

"... so what, were you the 'black sheep' of the family, or...?" He leaned forward, trying not to look amused.

"The playboy." Jesse blinked, brow furrowing and squinting at Genji as if trying to work out if he was pulling his leg or not. The cyborg snickered again. "Don't give me that look."

" _You_ a playboy?" He wheezed a little, trying not to laugh. "Oh I bet you brought home _all_ them lovely monks." Genji laughed softly, bowing and shaking his head.

"No, no, they were very much... average working class ladies and men, I assure you." McCree raised his brows, leaning back.

"Ah, swing for both teams, do we?"

"Any team," Genji corrected, and his friend chuckled.

"Drive any fancy sports cars?"

"Father stopped letting me borrow them after the third one was flattened by the overhang of a noodle bar." Jesse outright cackled at that one. The cyborg just smiled. "I was drunk, and I decided I wanted ramen... logic dictated I drive my father's Lamborghini through the front door when I realised they had already closed for the night."

"Holy shit, Genji!," McCree wheezed, belting out a powerful laugh. Genji bowed his head in humility, smiling shyly under the mask and biting his lip.

"At least you find it funny," he replied. "... Hanzo didn't when he picked me up from police station in the morning."

Jesse paused. "You were arrested?" He snorted, shaking his head. "What am I sayin', you drove a Lamborghini through a noodle bar, of course you were arrested." Genji chuckled.

"I'm not sure which cost more... my bail, the insurance on the car, or the compensation to the noodle bar..." He thought about it for a minute. "Probably the car."

"Too bad you didn't have that motorcycle, huh?" Genji blinked, then laughed warmly, surprised Jesse had remembered that tidbit. McCree grinned at him, then took another sip of tea, and this time openly pulled a gagging face.

"You don't have to drink it if you do not like it," Genji chuckled.

"Oh now you tell me."


	4. Chapter 3

When Hanzo Shimada walked through the automated glass doors, McCree pursed his lips and stared hard. He tried to determine from his appearance what traits he might have shared with Genji before. Maybe the eyes or strong jawline. He was more broadly set than his younger brother, with wide shoulders and heavily muscular build.

Jesse's eyes flicked over to Genji as the cyborg got up and walked to greet his brother, stopping a few steps away from him and bowing deeply.

" _Ani-chan, i_ _rassaimase._ "

" _Ojamashimasu_." Hanzo bowed in return, though was notably more stiff than Genji.

Jesse tilted his head, quite comfortable with where he had been sitting with the cyborg in the lounge area, arms resting along the back of the couch and feet propped up on the coffee table. The older samurai glanced around, and McCree fought the urge to laugh when he found himself comparing his small ponytail to a manbun.

"This seems... to be a very well furbished establishment," Hanzo remarked idly. "Very chrome."

"Yes, Winston is very much fond of his shinies," Genji chuckled. "There are stations throughout the building that provide hot drinks if you should want one."

"Thank you, but I am well for the moment." There was a particular awkwardness about Hanzo's body language, which was chipping away at Genji's cheerful demeanour fairly quickly. Jesse frowned.

"Tell 'im about the bars too, Gen!," he called across the room, catching their attentions. "Boy looks like he could use some whiskey."

"Hanzo doesn't drink, Jesse," Genji laughed, his cheer returning. Hanzo's brow furrowed, giving his brother and expectant look. "Ah, yes! Hanzo, this is Jesse McCree. He's a friend and colleague of mine," the cyborg explained, gesturing to the outlaw. Hanzo paused, but gave Jesse a slight bow.

" _Hajimemashite_." Jesse responded with a leisurely salute-wave, hand spiralling lazily from the brim of his hat.

Hanzo straightened, then glanced about once again. "Would you like me to show you around?," Genji offered, seeming almost giddy. A kid showing his big brother his new favourite thing.

"I am... sure I can find my own way around, thank you, Genji," was the curt reply. "I... would not want to trouble you by having you leave your friend alone."

"Ain't no trouble, partner." Jesse swung his legs off the coffee table, getting up with a slight grunt of exertion and brushing his clothes down. "'Fact I'll come with you both." The brothers looked up at him in surprise, Hanzo with a thoroughly puzzled edge, and it only then occurred to him that he seemed to tower over the both of them.

"Oh, well if you do not mind, Jesse," Genji said softly, tilting his head with a twitch of his antenna.

"Not in the least." He then rather roughly looped an arm around Hanzo's shoulders and partially crushed him to his side, making it clear he wasn't letting go. He wasn't letting Hanzo get away from him, or Genji. He wasn't going to let Hanzo distance himself from his brother like he clearly wanted. "C'mon, partner," he said in a low tone. "I'll show you where Winston hides the good brandy."


	5. Chapter 4

"I do not know if I am comfortable with this, Genji."

"Won't you give it a chance, brother?" Genji's robotic hand gestured almost elegantly to the futon on the other side of the small table, minding the delicate china teapot and cups. "Please, sit."

Hanzo hesitated for another minute or so, then stiffly lowered onto his knees on the futon and set his bow on the ground beside him. Genji beamed behind his mask, then began preparing the tea.

"I feel a moment of quiet, open conversation will do us some good," he explained gently as he began making the tea. "It may help us to familiarise with one another again, and get things off our chests that our nature as Shimadas may otherwise make us too stubborn to admit." Hanzo made a soft grunt, watching Genji's hands. Metal, chrome, smooth. Not covered in sticky plaster, cuts and bruises anymore.

Quiet fell, and Genji poured the tea and handed it to his brother. They took their first sips together, and Hanzo let out a soft sigh.

"Ah... it's good."

"Hai. This is the tea the Shambali offer to human visitors in the Himalayas," the cyborg replied.

"... do you need food, or energy now?"

"I require energy... and food no longer has taste to me." The elder Shimada swallowed slightly, and bowed his head. "Hanzo, it is alright."

"Is it?," he gruffed. "You tell me you can no longer taste... all I remember now are those ecstatic expressions you had when we went out for ramen, or when you ate your favourite candies..."

"Hanzo."

"And now you can enjoy none of it."

"Ani-san." Hanzo lowered his cup to the table, closing his eyes.

"This was a mistake...," he murmured. "I appreciate the effort, but..."

"Nothing will be mended between us if we do not talk," Genji insisted in a gentle tone. "My master, Zenyatta, teaches those around him that forming bonds is the best way to resolve conflicting relationships. Our bond as brothers is damaged, but not lost. Not yet..." He would solemnly admit he had said that with a desperate tone. "So we must talk. We must talk, and... patch things up."

Hanzo stared hard at his tea, and his hands around the cup, still and sturdy as an oak tree.

"Hanzo... Oniisan," Genji breathed. "Please."

Hanzo took a deep breath, and closed his eyes again. "... where shall we start?" Genji's face lit up, and his body language spoke volumes of that.

"What have you been doing all this time?," he asked. "I thought you would have taken over father's empire!"

"... I could not." His grip tightened on the cup. "It was just like the story father told us... without my brother, I was lost." He tensed more and more. "Without you by my side... none of those riches seemed worth it."

Genji went still, watching his brother closely. "... You worked so hard for all father had to give us... all my life, I watched you struggle to gain the family's approval..."

"I know."

"And when they told you I was a liability, you tried to rectify it."

"I had to-"

"Only for that power to turn to ash." Hanzo's eyes opened slowly. "... Then killing me was pointless."

Hanzo's head snapped up, looking on the verge of collapse, hands slamming onto the table surface. "No! It made me realise all that power, that position, none of that was worth it! None of it was worth your life!"

"And you realised this _after_ you thought you murdered me."

Hanzo grit his teeth, eyes stinging. "I was angry! It broke my heart, but I was furious with the way you brushed aside my pleas! As though nothing I had done for you before meant anything to you!"

Genji's calm air didn't falter, sitting in the same meditative position he had been when the conversation began. "We were both distraught," he said softly. "We both missed father."

Hanzo's shoulders trembled, and he slowly lowered back down. "I..."

"You had such expectations thrust upon you at such a fragile moment in time. They demanded too much of us while we were both in mourning." Genji focused steadily on his brother. "They had no right to demand anything of us the day after he passed away, Hanzo."

"... It was expected of me," he replied weakly. "I had to step up, I had to honour his legacy."

"You were a young man who had lost his dearly loved father not ten hours prior." Genji took a deep breath. "And I was no better."

Hanzo hung his head, fists trembling on the polished wood. "... The elders... They called you a pompous brat."

"That I was."

"I wanted to argue, but I didn't have a leg to stand on."

"Because they were right," Genji chuckled. Hanzo's head snapped up.

"How can you laugh at such things?!," he demanded. "You and I, we could have ruled father's empire _together!_ "

"That was your dream, not mine." Genji wouldn't budge from his calm position, which only riled Hanzo further. He breathed heavily, snarling at his younger brother.

"Everything I did, every bone I broke, every day I worked with blood, sweat and tears, I did for _you_. For you, and for father!"

Genji calmly sipped his tea.

"And you, so selfish, so ungrateful- _did it mean nothing to you?!_ ," Hanzo bellowed, getting to his feet. "Were you just content with father spoiling you like a rich brat?!"

The cyborg slowly lowered the cup back to the table, composed and taking a deep breath. "That was indeed my defining flaw," he said. "I admit that now to you, as I did to myself long ago. I was a greedy child, so used to being pampered and coddled by you and father. And like any other spoiled child, I felt the world should stop and wait for _me_ to finish mourning, as though it revolved around me... but at no point did I disregard all you had done for me, brother." He looked up at Hanzo. "We were both angry and hurt."

Every so often, Hanzo's muscles would convulse from the amount of tension he was containing. He stared at Genji, then opened his mouth to speak.

"Will you forgive me?," Genji asked.

His mouth closed again.

A long silence stretched out, and it felt like all Hanzo could do was breathe. But slowly, he lowered back down, and bowed his head.

"... yes," he murmured. "You already know the answer, yes."

Genji watched his older brother in silence, waiting for his shoulders to relax. "More tea?"

"Yes, thank you."


	6. Chapter 5

**Hand holding**

"You look happy." Genji looked up, and smiled under his mask at McCree.

"How can you tell?"

"Your ear widgets give it away," Jesse snickered, coming over to sit with him. The German Overwatch base of operations' canteen was stark white with orange strip lights. It was warm despite the appearance, and swam with smells of delicious, rich food.

Genji clicked his tongue. "These are not ears," he corrected him, twitching his antenna for emphasis.

"The heck are they for then?," Jesse chuckled, leaning forward with his mug of coffee.

"... I admit, I do not know," he replied, clearing his throat awkwardly. "Doctor Mercy never told me."

"Hrm..." Jesse gave the antennae a scrutinising look, then shrugged and sipped his coffee. "Doesn't matter, they lemme know what you're feeling when I can't read your body language." Genji made a breathy chuckle.

"I suppose that is an advantage."

Quiet fell between them, comfortable, companionable. Genji fiddled with his hands idly, occasionally glancing up to look around. "So what's got you in a good mood?" He looked back at the outlaw, still sipping his coffee contentedly.

"Oh, yes," he chirped. "Hanzo and I have taken out first steps towards reconciling."

"That's great," McCree grunted softly. "Magic monk tea does the trick, huh?"

"It does. You should drink it more regularly," Genji smiled. "You might actually learn to appreciate something other than your Starbucks."

"Your monk mojo juice can't make me tolerate mornin's half as much as my Starbucks does, partner." The cyborg laughed softly, and McCree gave him a toothy grin. "But I'm happy for you. You're handlin' this your way and it's workin'."

"I'm trying to follow master Zenyatta's methods... but with my own twist." Genji looked down. "I think even Zenyatta would get frustrated with Hanzo's thick headedness."

"Mm. You put up with me, so you've gotta have endless patience." Genji laughed softly.

"You aren't nearly as stubborn as Hanzo, believe me."

"That's impressive." Genji forced a chuckle, staring at his hands.

"When he sets his mind on something, it's near impossible to make him let it go. Stubbornness combined with that temper of his..." He sighed heavily. "... he's a very passionate person."

"Are you scared of him?" Genji looked up to see a serious, firm expression on Jesse's face.

"Why would I be?"

"Hate to bring up the past... But from what you just told me, seems like you know the exact state of mind he was in when he tried to kill you." Genji's hands flinched, and McCree tilted his hat up. "Sorry for bein' so blunt."

"No, you're right..." Genji stared back down into his hands, laying them palm up on the table. "The moment that fight started, I remember... I remember thinking, _'He's not going to stop. Hanzo can never stop himself. I'm...'_ " He trailed off, bowing his head and closing his eyes. "... _'I'm going to die.'_ "

Jesse's thick eyebrow twitched, and without really thinking about it he reached over the table to grasp one of Genji's hands. "I think you might be the closest I've seen to being a goddamn saint."

"What makes you say that?"

"You knew what he was trying to do. He did... _this_ to you, he tries to avoid you, and you still forgave him." Jesse gave the cyborg a warm, sympathetic smile. "I guarantee you an average man couldn't manage the things you do."

Genji stared at McCree for a long moment, then smiled under the mask, helm finials perking. "That's very flattering, Jesse. Thank you." The outlaw nodded firmly.

"But just so you know... I'll kick his keister all the way back to the streets if he hurts you again."

Genji laughed. "I am not a rambunctious teen anymore. Though I pray it never comes to that, Hanzo would not know what hit him." Jesse grinned at him, and they continued conversing. Whether they or anyone else in the room noticed or not, the two of them didn't seem to realise they'd ended up holding hands.


	7. Chapter 6

By this point, Hanzo had found tiny nooks and crannies throughout the two Overwatch bases he had visited thus far. Winston assured him he'd be deployed to most bases for official purposes, but he could see any of them whenever he pleased in his spare time. Hanzo had taken to finding the quietest, most isolated areas other Overwatch members rarely ventured, and huddling in them to avoid as much social contact as possible.

For the most part, it worked. He could meditate for hours at a time before someone found him, and that someone was usually Genji. Of course he knew the types of hidey holes Hanzo would look for.

One such hiding spot was in the upper levels of the German Overwatch base library. It was a rounded grand hall, four levels of ceiling to floor shelves stacked to the brim. As was to be expected, most agents that visited the library were quiet, there for business or some peace just like him. He'd often see Winston tip toeing around the lower levels, striving to not knock anything over. On occasion, Mei would sit at one of the enormous oak tables on the ground floor to read. Sometimes _Zarya_ would sit at one of the enormous oak tables, trying to read Mei.

However, what surprised Hanzo the most was how often Genji frequented the library. As children, his brother had never shown much interest in reading anything other than comics. Now, he would regularly look up from his trances to see the cyborg drifting between the shelves, or sitting cross legged on a couch to read. Hanzo was still having to remind himself who it was he was looking at from time to time.

He had been pondering this one day, nestled between the sections of the library no one visited - sociology and the crossword puzzle books - when he heard the tell-tale click of Genji's metal feet.

Yes, he'd often forget that the metal figure was supposed to be his brother, but a warrior learned to recognise the difference between friend or foe through all senses. And in this day and age, it was useful to be able to tell one Omnic from the other. Light and quick, it was Genji. Heavy and slow, Bastion. A low humming of systems with no footsteps at all, Zenyatta. Destructive force of nature, Hana piloting her mech indoors after she'd specifically been told not to.

He opened his eyes briefly, glancing over the railings of the balcony to see his brother between the shelves on the third level. He looked calm, relaxed. Everything he'd rarely ever been before. Hanzo shut his eyes. It wasn't that he didn't want to see him in such a pleasant state, as it was more coming to terms with how well adjusted he had become. The Genji he knew before would _hate_ the quiet of a library. He'd be causing a ruckus, jumping on the tables and singing badly at the top of his lungs just to break the silence.

Hanzo smiled a little. That endless energy had been as infuriating as it was exasperating, and now he found himself missing it. He could still sense it in that metal husk, see it in the way Genji moved. But it was muted. His little brother now exercised a self-control he never thought he'd see in a Shimada. Likely because it didn't _come_ from one, rather it was the influence of the tranquil and pleasant presence of his brother's new sensei.

Hanzo settled back into his trance for no more than a minute or so, when he heard Genji chuckle softly. Had he found an amusing book? He opened one eye to look over again.

Oh. It was the cowboy.

Hanzo looked puzzled. McCree never came to the library. Hanzo was convinced by his demeanour that the outlaw simply couldn't _read_ , and wouldn't be surprised if his notion was right. In any case, the big guy had such a boisterous voice and attitude, he'd probably be kicked out tout suite.

Hanzo shifted, just watching in mild bemusement as Genji spoke quietly to McCree, just low enough that he couldn't hear. The cowboy grinned, murmuring a reply and Genji chuckled again. Hanzo pursed his lips. What were they talking about?

The cyborg walked around the edge of the shelves to the next aisle, looking for something, and McCree followed him with his thumbs hooked into his pockets. Was he trying to keep his trousers from falling down? If the overly gratuitous belt isn't doing its job, get a new one, cowboy. The samurai shook his head.

Genji evidently found the book he was looking for, handing it to McCree. He had no visible lips to read, but he could see his green optical band flashing, and his shoulders moved with that controlled enthusiasm he was pondering earlier. Jesse nodded slightly, not quite looking at the book, but he reached out to take it as Genji chattered, his fingers brushing and resting over Genji's.

... and staying there.

Hanzo's brow furrowed, but dismissed it. He watched them talk, watched McCree's expressive face and Genji's body language. Jesse finally took the book, fingertips brushing the cyborg's again. Genji paused, hands lingering in the air, before drifting back to his sides.

When had Hanzo moved to stand at the railings?

He stared at the cowboy and his little brother, as McCree looked over the book with a bemused smirk, and Genji shook his head. And _chuckled_ again. McCree looked up, and the two shared an almost aggressively playful grin. Genji then slumped sideways, leaning against the bookshelf on his shoulder, and Jesse tucked the book under his arm.

Hanzo wasn't sure _why_ he was leaning over the edge of the railings like a hawk bearing down on its prey, but he wasn't in a state of mind to question it.

He glared daggers at the back of McCree's head, the icy cold feeling of mistrust creeping through his veins. When Genji made a soft laugh, reaching to brush as his helm fin, Hanzo nearly over balanced over the edge of the railings, staggering back and gripping the bars with a startled look in the face of a near death experience.

He shook his head. What are you doing, Hanzo? You have more dignity than this.

Jesse tilted his head as Genji was talking, and subtly brushed the long strip of fabric draping from the back of the cyborg's helm back over his shoulder.

Hanzo might have been gnawing on the railings, but that was his own business.


	8. Chapter 7

"You are distracted, my student."

Genji swallowed, tilting his head with his optical band still shut off.

"I am _now_..."

"Sarcasm is unbecoming of you." The cyborg chuckled sheepishly, looking over at Zenyatta and rubbing at his own neck.

"Apologies, master."

"Not at all, brother." A gentle breeze blew over the hill top, making the grass beneath them rustle and tickle Genji's knees slightly. "Your aura shifts like the ocean, Genji. What troubles you?"

"Nothing, master," he replied perhaps a bit too quickly. He grunted quietly, fidgeting. "Well, nothing of importance to you, at any rate."

"Everything is of importance to me. Most certainly when it worries you in such a way." Genji looked down into his lap, twiddling his thumbs. "Is it your brother?"

"... I think it probably is," he sighed, hanging his head.

"Do you feel not much progress is being made?"

"Not as such..." Genji licked his lips under his mask, searching for the right words. "... I feel... that I have changed too much."

Zenyatta tilted his head, back firmly straight, ever vigilant but at peace. "That concerns you?"

"Normally it wouldn't! I am so very close to fully coming to terms with... what I am...! But..." He watched a daisy dancing in the wind by his foot, the crisp sunlight bouncing off of the morning dew still lacing its petals. "... then I see the way Hanzo looks at me... he will deny it, but I know he often forgets who I am. He hears my voice and looks... only to not recognise his own brother under the metal, merely... a peculiar creature that shares his brother's name."

Zenyatta sat silently before him, listening and contemplating his friend's thoughts and acting as a firm base to be relied upon. He bowed his head. "I see..."

"I have changed in more ways than body, but also in soul! So much so, he doesn't seem to want to _believe_ I am Genji... but who else could I possibly _be_ but myself?!" Genji's fingers dug into the grass, arms and shoulders shaking as he struggled to contain his frustration. He just wanted to tear and rip at the earth, until he'd dug a hole deep enough to bury himself in. "I just... I don't know what I'm doing wrong, master...!" The cyborg stared at his clenched hands forlornly, as they slowly went lax. He closed his eyes beneath the mask, still trembling.

A slimmer hand reached out, lifting one of Genji's from the dirt to rest in its palm, and the other resting on top of it. Genji looked up pleadingly at the Omnic.

"Neither you, nor Hanzo, are in the wrong," Zenyatta assured him in his smooth tone. "You are both simply _settling_. It has been many years since the two of you last met. Hanzo battled with his own demons, and adjusted his view of the world to one of which _you_ were not part of. One in which, he believed you to be dead. And suddenly, here you are." The Omnic tilted his head, a warm, understanding smile in his voice, gently patting his student's hand. "Very much not dead, and having lived a life separate from him. The paths the two of you have walked have always been connected, but took side roads from one another for a time. Hanzo is not the only one who is displaced, and you, my student, are not the only one that has changed."

Genji slowly straightened up, beginning to understand where Zenyatta was heading.

"You mustn't dwell on what Hanzo can and cannot comprehend. You cannot understand _for_ him. Instead, focus on understanding who _he_ has become."

Genji was quiet for a long moment, throat taut and sore as he struggled with his voice. He took a shaky inhale, then bowed his head. "I... I asked him a few weeks ago what he had been doing all this time..."

"A good start," Zen praised. "And what did you learn?"

Genji looked back down at the daisy as the wind died down, seeing it bow to the direction it had been pushed, and rest.

"... that he was conflicted," he replied. "He is unsure whether he is relieved, guilty, or furious to see me."

Zenyatta nodded. "Good, you understood this from your brother right from the start." He closed his hands around Genji's encouragingly. "Through this, you will be able to fully process and understand your own feelings in this situation. Forgiveness is a process, as is learning. Both are things I truly believe the two of you are capable of."

Genji stared at Zenyatta, processing everything he'd been told, and what it all meant to him. He then clutched his master's hand in return.

"... thank you."

"You are most welcome, my brother."


End file.
